Louise Wightman may be the most famous exotic dancer ever to emerge from the Boston area. She began her career in the 1970s under the stage name "Princess Cheyenne," and in the course of time, she hosted her own radio talk show, modeled in national magazines and became a bodybuilding champion.
Wightman was also a student of psychology. After earning a master's degree in counseling psychology, she enrolled in a doctoral program at the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (MSPP), where she studied from 1996 to 2001.
In approximately 2000, Wightman and a colleague founded South Shore Psychology, which provided mental health services for children. MSPP became concerned that Wightman's private practice violated school policy, and it began disciplinary proceedings against her in 2001. Wightman withdrew from MSPP before these proceedings were completed.
After leaving MSPP, Wightman obtained a doctorate in psychology from Concordia College and University, an unaccredited online institution based in the island nation Dominica. With her Concordia degree in hand, Wightman began referring to herself as "doctor," printed "PhD" on her business cards, purchased a professional psychologist liability insurance policy and continued operating South Shore Psychology.
During the spring of 2005, Fox News aired two reports about Wightman and a feature on Concordia. As part of the feature, a Fox News anchor demonstrated that she was able to obtain a doctoral degree from Concordia without taking any courses; she merely submitted an enrollment form and a fee of $1,299 to the school, and then she received a degree through the mail. After the feature aired, Wightman applied for a state license as a mental health counselor, began referring to herself as a therapist, stopped using her business cards and changed the name of her practice to South Shore Psychotherapy.
Massachusetts law states that licensed mental health counselors, licensed psychologists and others can practice psychotherapy, but it is unlawful for anyone who is not a licensed psychologist to hold herself out to be a psychologist. To become a licensed psychologist, a person must earn a doctoral degree from a state-accredited program, among other requirements.
In October 2005, a grand jury charged Wightman with insurance fraud, filing false health-care claims, larceny by false pretenses and practicing psychology without a license. Wightman testified in her defense at trial, and she admitted that she knew her Concordia degree did not qualify her for licensure as a psychologist in Massachusetts. She explained, however, that given her education, training and experience, she believed she was qualified to refer to herself as a psychologist. She also believed that as long as she did not represent herself to be a "licensed psychologist," it was permissible for her to describe herself as a "psychologist."
Wightman was acquitted on the charge of insurance fraud, but she was convicted on 13 counts of larceny by false pretenses, five counts of filing false health-care claims and one count of practicing psychology without a license. She was sentenced to six months' imprisonment (which was suspended) and five years of probation. Notably, the conditions of her probation included one year of home confinement and a prohibition against practicing psychotherapy. On Sept. 27, 2013, the Appeals Court of Massachusetts affirmed her conviction.
One might wonder whether Wightman's practice would have attracted so much media attention if her personal history were not so colorful. That aside, it merits emphasis that Wightman's indictment stemmed in large part from her misunderstanding of Massachusetts laws governing the term "psychologist." The type of service she provided was not necessarily problematic; indeed, a member of the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Psychologists testified that in Massachusetts, the practice of psychotherapy generally does not require a license. But by using the term "psychologist" and causing consumer confusion, Wightman violated Massachusetts law. Her case highlights the need for all mental health practitioners to keep abreast of the state laws governing their practices.
